Desert Sands
by Batbabe1
Summary: Set after Episode 26. Vash is on his way back from his battle with Knives, how will his relationship with Meryl be affected? And what happens when Knives enters the picture? COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is my first fic (well, that I've ever had the guts to post, that is), so please be kind. All reviews are welcomed, though.  
  
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Disclaimer: I do not own "Trigun" in any way. But if I did, I could die a happy person.  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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The sun was becoming a definite problem.  
  
/Man, I'm going to sweat to death before I get back to town./ Vash was sure that he had already at least 5 quarts of sweat and he hadn't even been walking that long. But that was probably due to the fact that he was still injured and carrying a man his size on his shoulder. His brother certainly wasn't a light weight, despite his lanky appearance.  
  
It was all worth it, though. Vash finally had his brother back, or at least he hoped he did. Maybe with the help and support of his sibling, Knives could learn to not be so hateful of humans, maybe even like them. Vash had so many plans for his new life with his brother, but he still had his doubts as to how well Knives could adjust to a life among humans. But his worries wouldn't matter much unless he got back to civilization. Knives needed medical attention soon, and Vash wasn't in much better shape. He could still feel his shoulder bleeding through the bandage.  
  
/Hope it's not much farther./ As much as he denied it, Vash was actually looking forward to seeing the Insurance girls again too. He had always tried to push them away, to not let them get too close, but they clung to him like no one he had ever met. And for that, he was grateful. It gave him a warm feeling to know that he had people to go back to, that cared about him. Even the short girl, though she had a tendency to yell at him all the time for nothing at all. He smiled just thinking about it. Strange as it was, he found that he missed her yelling. It was home, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
The crunching of his steps quickened towards his destination.  
  
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Meryl didn't know how much more of this she could take. Vash had been gone for over a week, and there was no sign of his return. Meryl had told Milly that Vash would be back, that she was sure of it. But as the days dragged on, she lost some of her confidence. She couldn't bare to think that he might be dead, but she also couldn't stand the thought that he would choose not to come back to her.  
  
Us. Not me, us. Meryl had to keep reminding herself that Vash didn't have feelings for her, other than friendship. Not that she had any romantic feelings for him, either. He was just a broom-headed idiot that had a strange obsession for donuts. He was just her assignment, her job. Nothing more.  
  
Besides, she needed to be there for Milly right now. Meryl couldn't imagine what Milly must have been going through. To lose the first man that you've ever really loved and then to find out you're pregnant.... Meryl didn't know if she would be able to deal with that kind of heartbreak, but Milly was still her cheerful self. Though sometimes, when she didn't think Meryl could see, a sad look would come over her.  
  
Meryl turned away from the window that she always seemed to find herself gazing out of, and went in the kitchen to start dinner. Milly would be back soon. Anything to get her mind off Vash for a while.  
  
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Milly sat down on a bench under a nearby tree to get away from the beating sun. She didn't normally get very tired working (she always seemed to have a lot of energy), but today was a definite exception. The sun just zapped the energy from her today. She supposed that it might be natural, considering the condition that she was in. Eventually she'd have to quit her job altogether, but she wasn't looking forward to that day. She loved her job. It gave her a chance to get out doors and be active all day, and she liked interacting with her coworkers too. She didn't like the thought of soon being stuck in the house all day, waiting for the baby to be born. She also didn't look forward to being alone all day with just her thoughts to keep her company.  
  
Milly frowned. She'd avoided dwelling too much on everything that had happened to her in the past couple of months. Sometimes it just seemed too painful.  
  
She also didn't want to put the burden of being the only provider on Meryl, she didn't like not being able to help out. Meryl had enough to worry about as it was. Mr. Vash still hadn't come back and, although she would never admit it, Meryl was getting more distressed with each passing day. And, so was Milly. When even Mr. Vash wasn't sure whether or not he was going to come back, how could either of the girls? Milly hoped he came back soon, she couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone else.  
  
She got to her feet and started back over towards the digging site. She could still get some work in before quitting time and that brought a smile to her face. She'd think about her problems later, now she'd concentrate on her work.  
  
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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer still applies folks! Still don't own Trigun (though I am planing a hostile take-over of Vash *drool*).  
  
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A/N: Sorry this took so long. Didn't really think it would take me this long to write a single chapter (I blame school and professors who assign homework when they know that you'd rather be doing something else!). Anyways, on with the show...  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
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"Hello, Ma'am! I'm home!" Milly's voice echoed throughout the small house and into the kitchen where Meryl was making dinner.  
  
"How was work today?" Meryl asked as Milly stepped into the room. She was completely filthy, but that was to be expected since she was a construction worker. Her bright smile diverted attention from the dirt, as it did everything else. Meryl wished she could be that cheerful all the time.  
  
"I had a really good time today. We're just about done with the well, and we're ahead of schedule!" As she finished, she closed her eyes and grinned ear to ear with pride, "How was your day, Meryl?"  
  
Oh just great. All I did today was think about some idiot gunman who barely knows I'm alive... She thought to herself, ruefully. Aloud she simply said, "Oh, same as usual."  
  
Milly was about to comment on the fact that Meryl had started stirring the pot of stew with much greater force than was really required, but decided to remain silent on the matter. When Meryl wanted to talk about what was bothering her, she would. Milly knew all too well how stubborn Meryl could be, especially when it came to Mr. Vash.  
  
She was brought out of her reverie by Meryl's concerned look, "So...how are you feeling today?"  
A smile once again brightened her face. "As good as ever Ma'am. Like my big big sister always says, 'There's nothing like getting out in the sunshine to brighten up your day.'" Meryl smiled slightly back, then went back to stirring the stew.  
  
Meryl could hear Milly's footsteps as she left the kitchen and went upstairs to clean up before dinner. A frown returned to her face as she thought about how Milly had obviously side-stepped the question as to how she was feeling. Meryl knew that she shouldn't worry so much about the taller woman, that she was in perfect health and hopefully going to stay that way, but she couldn't help but be concerned. Milly was obviously a strong woman, but she'd been through more than anyone should ever have to. Meryl was determined not to let anything happen to her. She may not be able to protect and comfort other people, but she would be there for Milly.  
  
In the silence of the room, Meryl's thoughts once again drifted to a certain gunman. Why didn't I ever tell him.... She shook her head at the notion. There was nothing to tell him, nothing at all. And even if there had been, she wouldn't have put yet another burden on him. He had enough to deal with as it was anyway. As if psychopathic brothers weren't enough to already drive him insane...  
  
With the stew now done (and stirred way more violently than it needed to be), Meryl turned to call her partner down to dinner.  
  
The words died in her throat and her mouth gaped open.  
  
Standing in front of her was Vash. Minus the distinctive red coat and looking like he'd been drug through hell.  
  
"Uh...Hey short girl. How's it going?"  
  
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A/N: Bet I surprised you, right? Uh, no? You knew Vash was going to show up at the end? Oh, well, guess I'll just have to get more creative the next chapter (which will be longer, I promise!). Thanks for reading! Now please review! :) 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still applies. It ain't changing anytime soon, folks.  
  
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A/N: I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and encouraged me in this little project. I don't know if I would have made it this far without the support. And just to set this straight, no, I don't plan on making Milly suffer. She's got something big coming up that will, hopefully, make her happy. Don't worry. And she's pregnant cause that's the impression I got from the anime. I might be wrong, but oh well. That's why this is fiction. Wow, didn't mean to write so much. Sorry bout that. On with the story!  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
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He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. And he had certainly seen a lot of beautiful things in his 130 years.  
  
She stood in front of him, eyes wide, mouth wide open, her body frozen in place. And she still clutched the spoon. He had obviously shocked her, and they just stood there, staring at each other.  
  
"Umm....so.... how's everything been?" Vash asked in a cheerful voice, trying to fill the awkward silence. She simply continued to stare back at him.  
  
"Meryl, why is there a man lying on our couch?" Came Milly's voice from the front room. Vash turned into the other room, suddenly remembering the traveling companion he had left on the sofa. Meryl still hadn't moved.  
  
Milly was staring down at Knives with confusion written all over her face when Vash walked in. At the sound of his footsteps, her head turned slowly. As soon as she saw him, a bright smile spread across her face. She then rushed over to him, enveloping him in a bear hug that picked him up off of the ground.  
  
"Mr. Vash! Mr. Vash! You're back! This is wonderful!" All the air in Vash's lungs left in a rush from the crushing embrace.  
"Need......air......" was all he managed to get out.  
  
"Oh, sorry Mr. Vash. I'm just so excited to see you is all." She said as she let go of him. "Meryl, isn't this great? Mr. Vash is back! And he brought along a friend!"  
  
Vash turned his head to see Meryl standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She was still in a state of disbelief, that he could tell, but she had some control over it. Her mouth wasn't gaping open anymore, at least. /Hey, that's progress..../ he thought to himself.  
  
"Yeah, I can see that." She replied, never taking her eyes off of Vash.  
  
"So, who's your friend Mr. Vash? Is that your brother?" Milly asked, some of her excitement leaving her voice during the second question. She and Meryl knew all too well what Vash's brother was capable of, and neither was jumping for joy at having the killer plant in their house.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Insurance girls, meet my brother Knives." Vash announced cheerfully. Both women looked uncertain. "He's quite harmless now, I promise. I'm going to take care of him now and he's not going to get into any trouble. Don't worry."  
  
"Famous last words." Meryl mumbled, acquiring the annoyed expression she was so famous for. "And let me guess, you assumed that it'd be alright with us if you brought him home with you? You also assumed that we'd just let you stay here with a cold blooded killer laying unconscious on the couch?" The tone of her voice shot up in her accusation, making Vash shrink back slightly at the abrupt change in her demeanor. "You are such a moron!"  
  
"Uh......yes? Is that bad?"  
  
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Ok, I need some more feedback from you guys. Do you guys want sooner updates (which means shorter chapters), or would you guys rather have maybe one update a week (which means bigger chapters). Let me know so that I can decide what to do from now on.  
  
Thanks for reading and please review! :) 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Trigun's not mine! But oh how I wish it were.....  
  
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A/N: Ok, I've decided to start writing longer chapters with fewer updates. School needs my attention too (or at least, that's what I've been told). Hopefully, the chapters will be of higher quality this way, too.  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
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Vash's ears were still ringing.  
  
He certainly hadn't expected that kind of welcome from Meryl. After she had gotten over her shock and saw Knives, she practically exploded. Her voice had reached decibels that were previously unknown to man (and plant) kind. It was a wonder that all the glass in the house hadn't shattered. Maybe she hadn't missed him that much after all.  
  
Vash looked down at his brother sleeping peacefully on the small bed. /It's about the only thing he does peacefully/ Vash mused. He reached down and pulled the blanket up to his brother's chin and let out a small sigh. Rehabilitating Knives was going to be quite a job, one that Vash wasn't sure he could handle. He loved his twin, even after all of the horrible atrocities he had committed, but he was still unsure about just how redeemable he was. On the outside, Vash was more than confident that his brother could become a normal, non-killing member of society. But on the inside, even he had his doubts as to whether or not that was possible.  
  
He sighed again and turned to leave the room. It was late, but he was still hungry and was not yet ready to go to sleep. Maybe he could find something good in the kitchen, since dinner had been less then easygoing, to say the least.....  
  
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Meryl stared up at the ceiling for much longer than she had planned. She still couldn't believe that Vash was back, under this very roof.  
  
"Damn him." She muttered to herself. How dare he come back and just expect everything to be ok? Especially when you considered that he brought that demonic brother of his with him. He just assumed that the girls wanted to have a vicious murderer in their house. "Idiot."  
  
/At least he came home alive. You should at least be happy about that./ she told herself silently. And she was happy he had come back....back to her. She thanked God that he wasn't seriously hurt either. He had been wounded, of course, but Milly had helped to clean his wounds. She had to because Meryl didn't think that she could get that close to him without shaking like a leaf. So she had opted to take care of Knives, as much as she was loath to.  
  
Vash had then carried Knives up to the tiny extra room at the end of the upstairs hall. Milly moved into Meryl's room, letting Vash take hers. Dinner had been...uneasy....with the awkward silences and eye contact avoidance. Of course, it probably wouldn't have been that way had Meryl not flew off the handle at the sight of Knives on their couch. Knives was certainly making the situation harder than it had to be, and he wasn't even awake yet!  
  
Meryl sighed and rolled over on the bed. /Laying here thinking about it isn't going to make it better. Just be glad that Vash is back and leave it at that./ She told herself, but she didn't listen. She rarely listened when anyone told her what to do.....  
  
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Milly let out a large yawn as she stretched out of bed the next morning. The sun was shining brightly into the rather small room, illuminating everything.  
  
Milly looked over to her partner's bed, seeing it empty and made already. That wasn't unusual though, Meryl was always up and about before Milly. She slipped on her fuzzy yellow slippers and headed downstairs to get something for breakfast. She could faintly smell something cooking, but she wasn't sure what it was. /Maybe it's pancakes!/ she smiled to herself. Her partner was a very good cook, especially when she was cooking breakfast.  
  
As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Meryl sitting at the small table, drinking a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Ma'am!" She said cheerfully. The shorter woman looked up from her drink and smiled back slightly. "Did you sleep well, Meryl?"  
  
"Alright, I guess." was all she said as she looked back down to her cup.  
  
Milly shrugged slightly, not wanting to pry, and fixed herself a cup of coffee and a plate of blueberry pancakes. She smiled inwardly when she glanced down at the pan. Meryl knew that blueberry pancakes were her favorite, and Milly greatly appreciated that her friend was so thoughtful towards her.  
  
"Has Mr. Vash been up yet?" Milly asked as she came to the table and sat down to eat.  
  
Meryl's head shot up at the mention of the outlaw's name.  
  
"Not that I know of, but you know Vash! He won't be up until after one!" She laughed nervously, "So, how are you feeling today? Did you sleep well?"  
  
Milly didn't particularly like it when Meryl tried to change the subject like that, especially when it was so obvious to everyone but her just how much she cared about the gunman. She sighed inwardly and chose to ignore it. Again.  
  
"I slept very well. My bed is very comfortable and your room is much warmer at night then mine." She replied happily as she heaped a forkfull of delicious pancake into her mouth. What she said was partially true. The room was slightly warmer which made for a more comfortable rest, but she had dreamt about him again. Nicholas was never far from her mind.  
  
"Milly? What's wrong?" came her friend's voice, slightly worried. Milly realized that her face had dropped slightly at the thought of the man in black.  
  
"I'm fine, Ma'am. I was just thinking was all." she told her, plastering the smile back on her face.  
  
"Thinking can be rather dangerous, in my experience anyway." Vash pronounced from the doorway, a big grin on his face.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Vash! You're up earlier than we thought you would be!" Milly said in her usual disposition.  
  
"It is rare for you to be up before noon, Vash." Meryl murmured from her side of the table as the blonde practically bounced over to the food on the stove. There was an odd look on her face as she watched him start to stuff himself right there, one of disgust and....endearment.  
  
When he noticed both the insurance girls staring at him, he stopped, "Hey, what's wrong? A humanoid typhoon has to eat too ya know!"  
  
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A/N: Boy, it felt good to write something longer than a couple of paragraphs. I know it's not much longer, but hey, I'm working on it. ;) I think that I might be able to put out another chapter this weekend. That is, if I get inspired. I'll try my best! Please R&R! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer still applies. Please don't sue!  
  
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A/N: I know I said that this might be up over the weekend, but it kinda didn't turn out that way. Funny thing is, I sat down to work on this chapter and ended up writing a Batman fic instead. Huh...life's funny like that. And thanks to all my great reviewers! You guys really keep me going. So, without further ado, here it is......  
  
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Desert Sands:  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
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Knives still hadn't woken up.  
  
That wasn't entirely a bad thing, though. The plant was certainly much safer to be around when he was unconscious, but the fact that he would eventually wake up hung over the house like an uneasy haze. No one, not even Vash, knew what was going to happen when the psychopath awakened and that left the entire household....unsettled.  
  
Vash had been back for over a week, but things still hadn't gone back to normal. The insurance girls were still...uneasy....with the thought of his brother being in the same house, though Milly hid it much better than Meryl. The uneasiness crept into everything that they did, whether it be their meals or chores. It was reflected in everything they did. That just made Vash feel all the more guilty about bringing his brother back with him. Not that he would have left him there to die, he would never do that, but he would have gone some place else until Knives had recovered and then he would have came back to see the girls.  
  
The gunman stood on the small porch of the house, looking up at the bright stars, thinking about how he was sometimes too dense for his own good. He had never wanted to hurt the girls, but he hadn't really thought about how they might feel if he brought home his brother. His desire to see them again had simply overridden every other thought he might have had.  
  
For what seemed like the fiftieth time that evening, Vash looked towards the road. He kept telling himself that he wasn't waiting for Meryl, he was just spending a quiet evening out on the porch thinking. He told himself that, but he didn't really believe it. Every time Meryl had to work the late shift at the restaurant, he seemed to find himself out on this very porch waiting for a sign of the irritable woman.  
  
/I'm not worried, not at all. And it's not like I miss her or anything..../ he thought to himself. He tapped his foot slightly on the floor below him as he pondered that last thought.  
  
/Do I miss her?/ He frowned slightly. /I mean, her favorite past time is walloping me on the head and calling me an idiot. Why would I miss that?/ He chuckled slightly at his little joke.  
  
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Meryl had never felt so tired in her entire life.  
  
Well, that wasn't exactly true. In her many adventures chasing a walking disaster waiting to happen (who will not be named), she had certainly been in more exhausting situations. The dust crunched slightly under her feet as she made her way back to the house. Her shift had been incredibly busy, especially for closing, and she felt completely worn out. She couldn't wait to take a nice warm bath before hopping into bed.  
  
She slowed somewhat as the house came into view, or rather, what was outside the house caught her attention. Vash was out on the porch waiting for her again. She smiled slightly at the thought of the outlaw standing outside just to make sure she was alright. He would never admit it, though. He'd just say sometime like he was just outside thinking or getting some fresh air. But that didn't explain why he would always come inside almost as soon as she got home. He could be as stubborn as she was when it came to admitting his true feelings.  
  
As she approached the house, she noticed that Vash was making an effort not to look at her directly. Her footsteps on the porch steps were soft, and she made certain not to look at him, either. Stopping before she went through the door, she decided to be the bigger person and acknowledge his presence since he was apparently not going to acknowledge hers.  
  
"Good evening Vash."  
  
He made a show of spinning around quickly as if he'd been startled and looked at her. Then he tried to pretend to be slick as he said, "Evening, Short Girl. I didn't even see you coming!"  
  
"Right." was all she said as she walked into the house and quietly shut the door behind her.  
  
He stared at the door for a couple of seconds before muttering, "Busted."  
  
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Milly couldn't sleep well that night.  
  
Her dreams were filled with images of churches, guns, and graves. The man in the black suit seemed to haunt her. He was always there, but as a shadow. Close enough for her to see, but too far away to touch. She hadn't had dreams like this in a couple of weeks. That both relieved her and, at the same time, bothered her. The dreams reminded her of the effect that Nicholas had on her life, how much he had meant to her, and when they stopped, it made her feel almost guilty. She didn't want to think that she was forgetting him already.  
  
She got up and padded downstairs to make herself a cup of milk. She soon decided that a cup of pudding would also make her feel better. The house was dark and quiet, everyone had gone to bed some hours earlier (excluding Knives, of course, who had never gotten out of bed in the first place). As she sat down at the table, a hand instinctively went to her belly. She rubbed it and smiled gently to herself. She realized how silly it was to think that she could forget him when a part of him was still alive. She would do everything in her power to make sure that it stayed that way. She wasn't going to let the last part of him that she had go without a fight.  
  
Milly stood and went over to the sink, gently placing her glass and spoon inside. She'd sleep better now, she was sure. The doubt and guilt that she had been carrying with her through the night had evolved into a determination to carry on his legacy. Her child would know its father, she would make certain that he would not be forgotten.  
  
She could almost hear his voice in her head as she turned and went towards the staircase and it made her grin.  
  
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Upstairs, the plant's hand twitched. 


	6. Chapter 6

I think some thank you's are in order here! :)  
  
To the reviewers of my last chapter:  
  
Blu: ....uh, normally I would tell you to take a sedative or something, but you can be as hyper as you want if it gets you to read my story. ;)  
  
Rainy-days13: Hehehe. Well, now you'll know.  
  
Magnet-Rose: Believe me, you're not the first person to call me mean (and probably not the last, hehehe), but I just had to leave a cliffhanger, just to know what it feels like to cause misery to loyal readers. Lord knows authors have done that to me more times than I can count. LOL.  
  
Vicious Eden: I used "the plant" because I didn't want to just come out and say "Knives' hand twitched." It just doesn't have the emotional punch that the other phrase does. I also thought that it would be clear that I was talking about Knives because I've never referred to Vash as "the plant" or anything like that. Just thought I'd explain my reasoning a little, though I'm glad you brought that up.  
  
Shmoo Babies: Glad you liked it. And thanks for reviewing my other fic. ;)  
  
Rui: I'm really flattered that you would check this everyday. It makes me feel really cool and special. :D  
  
RoseRed5: I'm not sure if I would say he's actually awake yet, but you'll just have to wait and see....  
  
A special thanks goes out to Bangman, who's taken the time to read all my chapters and encourage me through this process even though he doesn't watch the show.  
  
An extra special thanks goes to Ravenwings. She's basically the reason this story's here in the first place. I never would have gotten the guts to post this if she hadn't forced me to! If you like "Zoids", you should check out her excellent fics on mediaminer.org.  
  
And thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. It really helps to know that there are people out there who take the time to read your work and comment on it. It also boosts my ego that I really haven't received one negative review. Must be doing something right. :)  
  
This chapter is going to be really short, which I'm really sorry about. Some things have been going on in my personal life and I haven't been able to give this the attention it deserves. That said, I wanted to go ahead and post this so that I could give you guys a least a little to tide you over til I can sit down and turn out more then a couple of lines. Once again, I'm really sorry. Hopefully I'll have a complete chapter up by the end of the week.  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 6  
  
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Vash hadn't slept so well in weeks. The fact that he was no longer being chased around the planet by a homicidal madman had finally sunk in and he was able to fully relax. Of course, he still had to worry about all of the bounty hunters that would no doubt still be after him, but he could evade them easily enough.  
  
He whistled slightly as he glided down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast. He was only somewhat surprised to find Meryl there by herself. Milly had undoubtably gone to work hours ago.  
  
"Morning Short Girl!" He greeted her cheerfully as he went over to grab some donuts out of the box.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder if you even know what my real name is...." Meryl muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Vash stopped at that. When he looked over at her, she was still looking in the other direction with an emotionless look on her face. She had sounded....hurt, which was a new emotion coming from Meryl. But the fact that she had even allowed him to hear it was a step forward.  
  
Their relationship was still in unknown territory. Neither had yet admitted that they harbored any feelings for the other, though it was more than obvious to others. /Lord, it's way past the time to get past this.../ he thought to himself.  
  
Vash sighed as he decided to take the first step.  
  
"Of course I know your name, Meryl. Why wouldn't I?" He said, he usual facade gone as he looked straight at her.  
She paused mid-sip and slowly turned to meet his gaze. "Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you've never used it that threw me off." She replied quietly and with a hint of bitterness.  
  
Vash blinked, then said, "I've always known your name, I just call you Short Girl for fun. I thought you liked it."  
  
"Let me get this straight. You think I enjoy being referred to by a nickname that emphasizes something that I've been made fun of for all of my life??" She was a tad short (pardon the pun) of thunderous. "You're such a dense, broom-headed buffoon!" She slammed her cup on the table as she stood up and started to walk out of the room.  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful when you're angry?" He called behind her, grinning wildly.  
  
Her shoe flying at him was all the answer he needed.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes...."  
  
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A slight chuckle escaped his lips as he thought, 'The insect is right. You are a buffoon, Vash...' 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still don't own Trigun, though I am now the proud owner of the dvd box set of the entire series. Hooray for me!  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 7  
  
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Milly was surprised just how easy it was to get used to being unemployed.  
  
She spent most of her days doing odd things around the house now, usually alone. Meryl worked full time now and Mr. Vash had taken some odd jobs around town to help provide for the household. Milly had started doing all the cleaning and cooking around the house as well as most of the shopping, because she didn't want to put that burden on either of her friends since they had so much to do anyway. When she wasn't doing any of that, she was looking after Knives, which wasn't her favorite job in the world. None of them knew why he was still asleep, since he and Vash were supposed to be fast healers and his injuries weren't that severe. She was just glad that he was still unconscious, though he appeared to be getting much better. The color in his face had returned, and he seemed to be gaining some weight from their feedings.  
  
Mr. Vash and Meryl were still doing that odd dance of theirs. For every step they took towards each other, they took another two steps back. Sometimes Milly wished she could just lock them up in a room together and conveniently lose the key for a while. That would force them to admit their feelings. But she knew that she wasn't strong enough at this point to get them together long enough to lock the door without either of them escaping.  
  
She sighed to herself as she made her way down the street towards the old general store. It sure wasn't like this with her and Nicolas. They had simply admitted their attraction and then started seeing each other. They'd never pussy-footed around like Vash and Meryl. Just another reason for her to miss the man in black.  
  
Milly placed a hand delicately on her protruding belly and smiled a little. Not much longer now, just two more months.  
  
She walked into the store and greeted the elderly clerk behind the counter, as she did every time she came in. She made her way down each aisle, looking at the various products and determining if they would be useful or not. She did this almost every other day, realizing that it was just an activity to keep her busy and pass the time now that she didn't work.  
  
She had never really enjoyed working at Bernadelli's, since she didn't like to be cramped up in an office all day with little to no physical activity, but at least it had enabled her to get out of the house everyday and interact with other people. She didn't get to do that as much now, and she found that she deeply missed it.  
  
Maybe it wasn't as easy getting used to unemployment as she thought.  
  
She frowned as she picked up a couple of cans of pudding, in various flavors. She took her small basket of purchases to the counter to pay for them, all the while pondering what exactly she was going to do once the baby was born. Would she go back to work so that the others didn't have to do all of the providing, or would she stay at home and take care of her child? It was a dilemma that millions of women had faced throughout the ages. At least Milly wasn't different in that respect.  
  
As she turned to leave, she took out one of the cups of pudding and opened it, just as she did every time she went shopping, and began to eat it. She savored the rich taste of the chocolate on her tongue and a smile returned to her face.  
  
When she looked up, the cup of pudding fell from her hand with a loud splat.  
  
Across the street from her, coming out of a bar, was Nicholas D. Wolfwood.  
  
* 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own Trigun. If I did, Wolfwood would never have died in the first place.  
  
*  
  
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I've been having a slight virus problem with my computer (all better now!), tons of schoolwork (I have three 5 page papers due in the next week. Yipee!), and an overall lack of inspiration. I guess that's what I get for leaving you guys with such a big cliffhanger.  
  
Anyways, you should thank Luna-Kitsune-Blu for this update. I got inspired to write this after reading her brand new fic, "White Flag." I suggest everyone go read it, it's really awsome and it just spoke to me. Wherever you are, Blu, I thank you! *Bows in thanks*  
  
On with the show!  
  
*********  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
*********  
  
Chapter 8  
  
*********  
  
He looked down at the small trinket in his hand, debating whether or not to give it to her. It wasn't like he had been planing to give her something, but it just seemed to call to him from the jewelers window as he passed by. She'd yell at him for spending money that they didn't have, but that was her way of showing her love. He smiled slightly as he realized she was meant to have this.  
  
Hearing a noise from the other room, Vash tucked the gift carefully into his pocket where it wouldn't be seen until he was ready for it. /I just hope she likes it...../  
  
Looking up from the kitchen table, he saw the shorter insurance girl coming in from work with an exhausted look on her face. With Milly not working anymore, Meryl had to work twice as much as she did before. Since Vash could only get odd jobs that lasted a couple of days at the most, she was the only one who had a steady paycheck. He knew that it put a strain on her, being responsible for taking care of four (soon to be five) people, and he admired her for taking the burden on herself without complaint.  
  
"Hey short girl! How was your day?" He beamed at her.  
  
"Well, aren't you cheery today.....even for you." Her tone dripped with sarcasm as she turned away from the sink to face him. He had a humongous grin on his face, a genuine one for once. One of her eyebrows cocked up in curiosity at what had put him in such a good mood.  
  
/Go on Vash.....before you lose your nerve!/ His mind screamed at him.  
  
"Well, I was just thinking about how good it is to be back and be with you lovely ladies again...." The look on her face went from curious to dubious at this. "And I just wanted to let you know how much I....uh....like you and how I'm glad you let me live here??"  
  
That wasn't what he had meant to say AT ALL. Where had his brain gone? As soon as he began what was to be his declaration of love, or at least attraction, his mind went blank and he spoke without thinking. /Lord, Vash......you are an idiot!/ Even she was surprised at his odd choice of words, her eyes were wider than before and her eyebrows were shooting up her forehead.  
  
She uncrossed her arms and stood away from the sink she had been leaning on. "That's good to know Vash. Thanks for sharing." She turned back to what she was doing before.  
  
He stood swiftly from the table and crossed the room in seconds. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gently turned her back to face him. She looked up at him, surprise all over her face. He was surprised too. He had no idea he was going to do that, he just did. Instinct is funny like that sometimes.  
  
"That's not what I meant to say..." he began, looking into the grey depths of her eyes and seeing his face reflected in them. "I....I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you do for all of us....what you do for me." Her eyes grew wider and seemed to mist slightly. "And, I wanted to give you this," he fished his gift out of his pocket without breaking eye contact. "I wanted you to know how much you mean......to me." Now his eyes were watery.  
  
He gently grasped her hand and placed the small trinket in it. It took her a few seconds to gather the courage to look at just what Vash had given her, and when she did she almost broke down in tears.  
  
She lifted her hand to look at the small golden locket, the light in the kitchen reflected brightly from its surface. It was a smooth and oval- shaped....and the most beautiful gift she had ever received. She gazed back up at him, a tear running down her cheek, and she smiled.  
  
"Oh, Vash. I don't know what to say. It's beautiful. You shouldn't have done this."  
  
"I wanted to. I wanted you to have something pretty, something nice. You deserve it."  
  
It was then that she realized just how close together they were standing. She could feel his breath lightly on her face. He smelled like spice and sun, a unique combination, but one that suited him. All traces of the facade that he used to keep people at a distance were gone, and she knew that she was looking at the real Vash. The one that he hid from the world to protect it. She was moved and felt her heart pound in her chest more than it ever had before.  
  
He raised a gloved hand to gently wipe away her tear, never once looking away from her eyes. She realized suddenly that his face was much closer to hers then it had been a second ago, and that it was getting closer still. She smiled and anticipated finally kissing him, experiencing something that she had dreamed of for a long time.  
  
His lips were less than an inch from hers when the front door slammed.  
  
Both Vash and Meryl jumped apart in fright, blushing furiously. Their embarrassment was forgotten as they heard pained sobs coming from the living room.  
  
When they entered the room, they saw Milly sitting on the couch with her head in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
"Milly? Milly what's wrong??" Meryl rushed to her side, concern evident in her voice.  
  
"He....he.......he.....!" She chooked out between sobs.  
  
"He who, what?" Vash asked from his kneeling position in front of the bigger girl.  
  
She looked up at him, pain and anger evident in her pale eyes, "It's Nicholas......he's not dead....."  
  
**********  
  
A/N: So, what do you think?? R&R! 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer still applies......  
  
*  
  
A/N: Well, you guys didn't have to wait so long for this chapter, but that's only cause I'm going on spring break and won't have access to a computer for about 10 days. I wanted to be sure to post another chapter before then, to tide you guys over until I can post again.  
  
As always, R/R!  
  
***********  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
***********  
  
Chapter 9  
  
***********  
  
Vash couldn't help the inhaling a sharp breath at Milly's pronouncement. She had to be mistaken....he had found Wolfwood's body himself and buried it just outside of town. There was no way that he could still be alive.  
  
"Milly", he started gently, not wanting to hurt her more, "maybe it was just someone who looked a little like him. And it was awfully hot out today, maybe you just thought you saw him."  
  
The bigger woman looked up at him and replied indignantly, "I know what I saw Mr. Vash! I saw Nicholas and he was alive." She looked down at her hands sadly, but she had stopped crying.  
  
"So, what happened Milly? Why are you so upset? I would have thought that you'd just be happy that he's alive...." Meryl's voice trailed off. She obviously didn't quite believe that it was really Wolfwood that her partner had seen, but didn't want to upset her by saying so.  
  
Milly looked hopefully at her partner. "Well, I was coming out of the general store..."  
  
****************  
  
Milly didn't even register the can of her beloved pudding crashing to the ground at her feet, spreading its contents on the wooden floorboards. The only thing she saw was the tall dark haired man across the street from her. The man whose child she was now carrying. The man she thought she would never see again.  
  
"Nic....Nicholas...?" She said in a hushed whisper, completely disbelieving. She wanted to rush over to him, to embrace him and never let him go, but her feet seemed to be planted in their present position. Her eyes began to water as she fully realized that the only man she had ever loved was still alive and right in front of her.  
  
He just stood at the entrance of the bar, lighting up his trademark crooked cigarette. He hadn't even seen her yet. As he began to walk away, Milly found the strength to move to go after him. She couldn't loose him again.....  
  
/Oh, he'll be so happy so see me! Maybe he's been looking for us all along!/ She couldn't help but smile at the thought of what his reaction would be. He'd take her into his arms and tell her he was never going to leave her like that ever again. He'd tell her how much he missed her and how happy he was to find her again. And then he'd beam with pride when she'd show him her protruding belly and pronounce that he was going to be a father. They were going to be a real family together. Oh, he'd be so happy!  
  
It didn't even occur to her to question just how he had come back from the dead.  
  
She kept her eyes on his back as she followed him down the street, not once losing sight of the preacher in black. "Nicholas." she breathed heavy as she picked up her pace, gaining ground on him. He was almost at arm's reach when he suddenly turned around and looked into her eyes.  
  
She barely stopped herself from running right into him. "Nicholas! You're alive!" Milly then did something that she thought she'd never be able to do again: she put her arms around him in a fierce hug.  
  
Surprise was evident on his face but was quickly replaced with a cocky smirk. "Sorry, honey, but I think you've got the wrong guy." he said as he released himself from her grasp. She looked up at him, not comprehending.  
  
"What do you mean? Nicholas, it's me! Don't you recognize me?" She was more than a little hurt when he responded with a look of indifference. Her eyes began watering again, but for a much different reason this time.  
  
"Sorry, big girl but I'm just a traveling preacher and I don't think we've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get going. Got souls to save." He winked at her and turned back around and continued toward his destination. She just stood there, unable to move yet again.  
  
"But....but.....you're going to be a daddy...." Her whisper seemed to get lost in the wind before it could reach his ears.  
  
***********  
  
"Oh Milly...." Meryl breathed as the woman finished her story. Her arm was around Milly, holding her as she wept quietly. She looked over at Vash, who had that serious, determined look that he always got when he had to save lives and towns.  
  
Slowly, Vash stood then made his way over to the coat rack by the door. He took off his rebuilt red coat (a present from the girls) from its hook and put it on for the first time in months. His hand reached into one of the pockets and pulled out his yellow sunglasses and put them on.  
  
Meryl's eyes went wide as she watched him. He was so methodical, so serious. She hadn't seen him this way since he brought his brother back. "Vash?"  
  
He turned back to the girls from the doorway.  
  
"Don't worry, Milly. I'll find him and bring him home."  
  
***************  
  
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please review, that way I'll be more inclined to write more when I come back......not that I wouldn't anyway...... ;) 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own Trigun. Not making money off this. Stop hounding me!  
  
**********  
  
A/N: I'm back!!!!!!! Yes, yes. I know the last chapter was rather cruel to leave you with, but I just had to! Thanks to all that read and reviewed. It really made me feel great to come back and see so many reviews for my story. You guys are the best reviewers a writer could ask for!  
  
Anyways, here's the next chapter. When I started this, I never thought that it would make it to a 10th chapter. But believe me, it's a pleasant surprise.  
  
**********  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
***********  
  
Chapter 10  
  
***********  
  
It took him less than an hour to find the preacher.  
  
All he had to do was go to the two inns that the small town had and check the guest lists. A small town like that rarely had visitors, so they were pretty easy to check.  
  
As Vash made his way to the room that his friend occupied, he found himself growing with anger again. He had cooled somewhat since he had left the house, but now, as he stood outside the room, his anger was again igniting. Vash just couldn't understand just how Wolfwood could still be alive. But it wasn't the fact that he was alive that infuriated the outlaw, it was the fact that he had hid it from everyone. Seeing how upset Milly had been after his death, Vash just couldn't believe that her pain could have been avoided all together.  
  
So Vash had reacted the only way he knew how, by acting. He knew that he had to find Wolfwood and bring him home to the girls. He had to be faced with his child and the woman that loved him, he couldn't run away.  
  
The tall blonde considered knocking on the door before him, but thought that surprising his friend might give him a better reaction. With that decision made, he promptly kicked the door in.  
  
*************  
  
"Do you think Mr. Vash will be able to find Nicolas, Meryl?"  
  
The shorter insurance girl was shaken from her thoughts by Milly's question. After Vash had stormed out, Meryl had brought in some tea and pudding for her partner and they had sat in silence. She had been preoccupied with concern over what would happen when Vash found the supposedly dead preacher.  
  
And then there was the question of just how Wolfwood (if it was even really him) was alive in the first place. Meryl had never seen his body, Vash had taken it upon himself to bury it all on his own, so she supposed that it was possible that the wounds weren't as serious as they thought. But Vash knew the difference between a dead body and a live one. The difference was, unfortunately, one of the things that Vash had become an expert on over the years.  
  
So if he had died, just how had he been brought back to life? Meryl had seen some pretty strange things in her travels with the blonde outlaw, but she just couldn't fathom how someone or something could revive the dead.  
  
Neither of those theories explained the memory loss though. Well, that is if he truly didn't recognize Milly. But if he didn't lose his memories, why would he lie to Milly like that? None of this made any sense and Meryl's head was starting to hurt the more she thought about it all.  
  
It was also possible that this wasn't Wolfwood at all, but someone else who bore an uncanny resemblance. This seemed to be the most likely option, though Meryl couldn't get past the fact that it was pretty damn ironic that a dopelganger would just happen to show up in the town that they were residing in.  
  
Answering her partner's question, Meryl simply said "I don't know Milly. I just don't know." She shook her head and looked down at her hand twisting in her lap. There was just too much to think about.  
  
She was about to open her mouth to say something else when a loud thump was heard from upstairs.  
  
When Meryl turned to meet her partner's eyes, she saw on her face a reflection of her own feelings: surprise and fear.  
  
****************  
  
A/N: Yes, I realize that this chapter is short and cruel, but it's meant to be more of a teaser for the next chapter. Hopefully I'll have that up by the end of the week.  
  
Please R/R! 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun! If I did then Vash would be my secret love slave......did I just say that outloud? *blush*  
  
******************  
  
A/N: I am a cruel, cruel person. I knew as soon as I posted the last chapter that I'm going to go to hell for my cruel ways. I apologize. But cliffys make a story great! Right?  
  
I'll just pretend you all agree with me......  
  
*********************  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 11  
  
*********************  
  
Vash was amazed at the site that greeted him beyond the door.  
  
There on the bed sat Wolfwood, scarfing down a bowl of noodles. Well, not exactly. Of course, when the door had been kicked in he had been startled and had apparently lost control of the bowl and was now wearing the noodles. His eyes were wide as he looked at the intruder.  
  
The blonde gunman just stood in the doorway staring at the man he had thought long dead. Normally, he would have been thrilled to learn that his best friend was still alive, but he was in a state of disbelief. In his mind, he knew that it was possible that Wolfwood would be in the room, but there had still been doubt in his heart. It's one thing to be told of something, but quite another to witness it for yourself. After all, Vash was the one that found his friend dead and buried him. He couldn't imagine how it was possible for the preacher to be before him now.  
  
Vash couldn't get his voice to work and his body felt wobbly the longer he looked at the man who was obviously alive and well. The preacher seemed unable to break the silence either. He simply sat on the bed and continued to stare wide-eyed at the man in red. It took several minutes for Vash to finally find his voice and when he did, it was rather shaky.  
  
"How?"  
  
He spoke in a barely a whisper, never breaking eye contact with the man who appeared to be his friend.  
  
With the silence broken, Wolfwood seemed to relax. He closed his eyes and stood up to brush off the wet noodles that clung to him. The preacher chuckled slightly as he reached into his coat pocket to pull out a trademark crooked cigarette. Vash simply stood there, waiting for an answer as the other man lit a match then his cigarette. He inhaled slowly and exhaled the same way. It was only then that he turned back to Vash and spoke.  
  
"I take it you've talked to the big girl. Should've known it wouldn't take you too long to find me."  
  
Vash felt as if his jaw had literally dropped to the floor. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
  
"So you do remember! Why'd you lie to Milly like that??" His voice became somewhat high-pitched at the end of his question. "Why didn't you tell us you were still alive? Where have you been all these months?" The more he talked, the more questions he seemed to have.  
  
Wolfwood looked surprised for a brief moment, then resumed his usual nonchalant and slightly cocky appearance. "Well hello to you too noodle- noggin." He chuckled briefly at his little joke.  
  
Again, Vash was dumbfounded. All he could do was gape at the supposedly dead man and wonder what the hell was going on. Just this morning, Vash had felt like his life was finally settling down. It had seemed like he wouldn't have to deal with anything out of the ordinary except for an occasional bounty hunter. He had finally been ready to share his feelings with the woman he loved when fate decided to throw him another curve ball in the form of his supposedly dead best friend.  
  
And now that he was standing across the room from him, the preacher was being evasive. /Just my luck..../ he thought to himself.  
  
"Wolfwood," he began as patiently as he could, "what's going on? Why haven't you told us that you're alive?" His face was a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and hurt as he asked what he was dying to know.  
  
The man in black sobered at the sight of his friend's distress and looked down at the floor as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He seemed to consider his answer deeply before he sighed and spoke again.  
  
"It's a long story. One that I can't tell right now. All you need to know is that what I've done, I've done for you and the girls." He still didn't look at Vash.  
  
The outlaw replied quietly, "Did you know that Milly's going to have your child?"  
  
Vash thought that he saw regret flash across the other man's face for a moment before he looked back at him and nodded his head.  
  
The man in the red coat felt himself go cold at his friend's admission. His face became hard again as he was once again filled with anger. Wolfwood noticed the change in his friend's demeanor and looked at the floor once again, saying nothing. A loud sigh escaped Vash as he tried to hold his anger back.  
  
"Then I suppose you don't care. You don't care that she went through hell when you died and is going through it again because you're playing some sort of game." He turned to leave. "I guess I was wrong about you. You don't care about anyone. Not the girls, not me, no one but yourself. Did you even think about what you were putting us through when you came back from the dead or whatever? I just wish Milly didn't have to go through this kind of pain again."  
  
His voice trailed off and he began to leave.  
  
Wolfwood stood in the same spot, watching his friend leave. He only hoped that one day he would be able to understand. When he spoke, it was a quiet plea, "Vash..."  
  
The blonde turned his head to take one last look at his friend when his head began to feel like it was being stabbed.  
  
Vash clutched his head with both hands and dropped to his knees in pain. He barely registered that Wolfwood had ran to his side. His head felt like it was going to explode.  
  
The pain seemed to go on forever until he heard a familiar laugh in his mind. It sickened him and shook him to his core with fear and dread. And in an instant, he knew.  
  
The man beside him desperately wondered what was wrong. "Vash! Vash, can you hear me? What's wrong?"  
  
The blonde outlaw looked up at him, tears in his eyes, and barely managed "The girls....."  
  
**************  
  
A/N: Wow, I'm shocked that I actually got a chapter up when I said I would. What a concept! Anyways, this chapter was amazingly easy to write, which surprised the heck out of me considering I find Wolfwood difficult to write in character. I hope he doesn't seem OOC, though it wouldn't surprise me if he was. If so, I apologize.  
  
Gosh, I've done enough rambling for one night......R/R!! 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Still applies, guys. That's not going to change in the foreseeable future.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: I'm a cruel, heartless bitch. After that last chapter, I'm surprised I haven't been killed for my wicked ways. Unfortunately (for you guys), this pattern of behavior doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon. I'm sorry.......  
  
**********  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
***********  
  
Chapter 12  
  
***********  
  
The two men thought they couldn't run fast enough.  
  
After Vash's stunning pronouncement, the pain in his head suddenly stopped. As soon as it did, he jumped up and started running towards the house, Wolfwood running with him. The preacher knew that it had to be something serious for his friend to react like that, so he hadn't questioned, just followed.  
  
Vash knew exactly what the pain was. It was an invitation.  
  
/I should have known this would happen..../ he thought over and over, blaming himself for what he feared had happened to the girls. He only hoped that they got there in time.  
  
When they reached the small house, both men stopped before the porch, trying to assess the situation. By all appearances, nothing seemed amiss other than the door was open. But Vash knew better. He could feel that something was horribly wrong here. Slowly, he pulled his gun from his coat and silently made his way onto the porch and through the open front door.  
  
Wolfwood followed, pulling two guns out of their holsters. He silently berated himself for not thinking to bring his new cross punisher, though he knew there was no way in hell he could have ran across town while carrying that thing.  
  
Vash surveyed the front room, shocked at what he saw. The room looked completely untouched. Everything was exactly how he had left it, except that the girls were gone. He could feel the preacher behind him, also taking everything in. The house seemed to be as it was supposed to be, but it just didn't feel right.  
  
The gunman nodded his head, indicating for the preacher to check the kitchen. The man in black understood and soundlessly made his way into the next room. At the same time, Vash made his way up the stairs. He just had to check, had to know if he was right. This was one of the times that he prayed to god he was wrong.  
  
/Meryl......forgive me..../  
  
***********  
  
Wolfwood quickly examined the small kitchen, all the while hoping that Vash was wrong about this. If he had learned one thing from all his time with the outlaw, it was to trust Vash's instinct. And this time, it wasn't just Vash that felt something was wrong. Wolfwood could feel it too, and it filled him with dread.  
  
He found himself wondering if this would even be happening if he had just revealed himself to them sooner. In truth, Wolfwood hadn't even known that Vash and the girls lived in this town when he came. It was simply a coincidence that Milly had happened to be across the street when he came out of that bar. His first instinct when he saw her was to take her in his arms and not let go. But he knew he couldn't do that until he finished what he needed to do. But maybe if he had, he wouldn't have to feel the panic in the pit of his stomach.  
  
The preacher made his way out the back door and onto the back porch. After not seeing anything seemingly out of place, he made a quick survey of the outside of the house.  
  
Everything seemed to be in place. If you just looked at the house, you'd never think anything was wrong. And that just made Wolfwood more uneasy.  
  
Finding nothing, he came back in through the front door. With no immediate threat downstairs, he made his way upstairs, following Vash. The stairs expelled him into a short hallway. Not seeing the man in red, he opened the first door to check its contents. He immediately wished he didn't.  
  
He at once recognized it as the girls' room. He caught a faint whiff of Milly's scent: a mix of pudding and violets. An interesting combo, to be sure, but very distinctive. A pang of guilt hit him again as he remembered her heart broken face as he turned away from her.  
  
Making his way back into the hall, he opened the second door, across the hall. Obviously Vash's, it was tiny and unoccupied. He turned away, seeing only one door left, at the very end of the hall.  
  
The door was open, and Wolfwood could see Vash standing just inside the room, alone. His head hung slightly, and he didn't move. It was hard to tell if he was even breathing. He just seemed to be staring at something. It wasn't until the preacher stood directly behind his friend that he saw what had captured his attention. His arms dropped and his jaw slacked.  
  
"Good God." Was all he could manage to say.  
  
One word was written on the wall in front of them, seemingly in blood:  
  
'Spiders'  
  
*******  
  
A/N: Again, I apologize for the mean cliffhanger. I've accepted the fact that I'm going to hell.  
  
But please don't let that stop you from reviewing. :) 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer is still in affect.....  
  
*******  
  
A/N: I'm glad so many of you liked the last chapter. I wasn't too sure of it when I posted it, but I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Thanks to all my reviewers, you are greatly appreciated.  
  
When I first sat down to write this chapter, I wasn't quite sure what direction I wanted to go in. I had two or three ideas, but wasn't sure which one was best. I think I know now, so hopefully that will work out from now on. We'll just have to wait and see.....  
  
Now that I've rambled on for forever, on with the show!  
  
******  
  
Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
*******  
  
Chapter 13  
  
*******  
  
The sand crunching under their feet was the only sound either had made in the past hour.  
  
The two men had been walking for hours with no sign of the crazed plant or the girls. Vash had simply started walking one direction, certain that was were Knives had gone. Wolfwood, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as sure as his companion. But Vash was so sure, so the priest had followed without question.  
  
This time, he remembered to bring his cross punisher. Though he was starting to regret it with the mix of hot sun and the cross's weight bearing down on him. He knew he wouldn't regret it in the end, though. They'd need that firepower when they found Knives.  
  
Neither was sure how far they had walked, their surroundings looked the same. It was all sand with nothing on the horizon but the setting sun.  
  
Wolfwood's mind had started to wonder during the trip. He found himself imagining how things might have been different if he had stayed dead. The man in black knew how futile that line of thinking was; what was done, was done. There was no going back now. He'd simply have to live with the choices he had made, both good and bad.  
  
At the same time, Vash was facing his own inner demons.  
  
He couldn't help but blame himself for the current situation. It was his friendship and love that had brought this pain on the girls, among other things. That was why he had never let anyone get close to him before, he knew that his affection could only bring them heartache and pain. And his brother had proven him right today.  
  
The outlaw couldn't help but wonder how things would be different had he not saved his twin. Maybe if he had just left his brother out in the dessert after he had defeated him, this wouldn't be happening. But he couldn't do that anymore than he could stop caring for others, especially Meryl.  
  
He just prayed to god that she was still alive, and that they might get another chance together.  
  
Then there was the other woman. Milly was pregnant, and there was only so much stress that she could take now. Vash didn't want to think that the preacher had come back from the dead only to bury his child.  
  
The man in the red coat tried to shake that thought off, deciding to focus instead on just finding them. He inherently knew which direction to go in order to find his brother, which was definitely no accident. Knives wanted him to follow, no doubt to torture him in some new and disgusting way. Vash just hoped that his brother wouldn't grow impatient waiting for him.  
  
The outlaw also hoped that his brother had no knowledge of the priest's return. If he didn't, it would give Vash an element of surprise and an edge that his brother wouldn't have planned for. Though he didn't hold out much hope on that one.  
  
"It feels like we've walked a thousand isles."  
  
Vash jumped slightly at the comment which broke the silence. He'd been so engrossed in his own thoughts that he hadn't expected the priest to say anything. He berated himself silently, that lack of attention could get him, and everyone he cared for, killed.  
  
The preacher looked over at Vash when he had remained silent. Apparently, Vash wasn't in a talking mood. But Wolfwood wasn't the type to take silence as an answer.  
  
"So how much farther, noodle noggin?" He heard the irritation in his voice and instantly regretted it. The length of their walk was the least of his worries right now. Besides, he didn't want to take out his frustrations on his friend his first day back.  
  
The only answer he received was a barely audible "I don't know."  
  
Wolfwood stopped in his tracks at that. He knew one cause of Vash's quietness, and it had nothing to do with finding Knives. He figured now was just as good a time as any to have it out in the open and get past it.  
  
"Look, Vash, you might as well go ahead and say it. You're pissed at me for 'coming back to life' without telling you, right?" He huffed as he finished his question, then continued. "If we have any chance of saving the girls, you better go ahead and get it out. Otherwise, we won't stand a chance of stopping that lunatic brother of yours."  
  
The blonde stopped a few feet away from the preacher, then turned around slowly to look at him. With the sun glaring off his yellow sunglasses, it was impossible for Wolfwood to see his eyes. The rest of his face was impassive and the preacher wasn't sure whether the outlaw was angry or not. He just kept his gaze locked on where he knew Vash's eyes were, in an attempt to stare him in the eye.  
  
It took Vash a few seconds to find a response to the other man's outburst. When he did, he decided to got about it in the most delicate way possible, given the circumstances.  
  
"I'm not angry." He paused, sighing. "I'm hurt that you felt you couldn't come back to me and the girls. After everything we've been through, I would have thought that you would want to come back."  
  
His quiet honest completely deflated the preacher. He had been ready to have a shouting match with his friend, only to find that it wasn't anger that engulfed him, but hurt. In that moment, he felt more ashamed of himself than he had in a long time. Suddenly, a thought struck him and he couldn't help but feel resentful towards the other man.  
  
"That's ironic considering you were missing for two years and left the rest of us to worry about you. And we didn't even know if you were alive or dead. We didn't know anything and you didn't care to at least tell us that you were still alive. You went and hid in some village in the middle of nowhere." His voice raised with anger at the memories of that time. "And you probably never would have come out of hiding if I hadn't found you! At least with me, you and the girls had some closure because you _knew_ I was dead. We didn't get that when you disappeared! You're such a hypocrite, Vash!"  
  
The man in red simply stood there as his friend yelled through his hurt. Vash was starting to think that Wolfwood had hated not telling them about his existence as much as Vash did. He realized that the preacher was actually angry with himself and not his friend.  
  
He was about to respond when he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Vash turned and walked towards it, leaving a puzzled Wolfwood behind.  
  
The small glint of light was coming from the ground a few yards away. When he came to where it laid, Vash crouched down to uncover it from the sand.  
  
Curiosity getting the best of him, Wolfwood came up beside his friend to see what was going on. When he looked at the outlaw, he found a face that looked both amazed and broken. The priest turned his attention to the object in Vash's hand, suddenly becoming filled with apprehension once again.  
  
In Vash's hand was a small golden locket.  
  
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please Review! 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer knows all, sees all.....  
  
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A/N: I am sooooooooo sorry this took so long! My muse just up and left me for a week or two. But it has now returned, and hopefully will stick around this time. *crosses fingers*  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers for sticking with me on this. And thanks to those of you that pointed out a couple of minor errors on my part.  
  
Kagome - You're right, it is "Needle Noggin", not "noodle noggin." Don't know how I could have messed that up, but I did. Thanks for the correction.  
  
Blu - I was sure that Vash had only been gone two years, but I could be wrong. I tried looking it up on the web, but couldn't find anything that said how long he was gone specifically. It might also be a difference between the dub and the original, depending on which you're talking about. Or it could just be that I don't pay enough attention, which has been known to happen. lol.  
  
So here we go........  
  
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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe  
  
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Chapter 14  
  
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Meryl didn't think it could get any worse.  
  
Wherever he had taken them, it was cold. An interesting sensation on a desert planet. It felt like some sort of cave, though Meryl couldn't be sure since he had blindfolded her before they had reached their destination.  
  
The petite woman could sense her partner lying beside her, still unconscious from where he had hit her. Meryl just hoped that Milly would be able to hold on long enough for Vash to get here. She didn't know how she knew that the gunman was coming, but she didn't doubt that he wasn't far behind. Besides, it wasn't like that psychopathic brother of his had been trying to get away.  
  
Meryl didn't know what kind of game Knives was playing, she only hoped that Vash would be able to stop him. She didn't understand why the "killer of millions" was so vindictive towards the twin that he claimed to love above all else (except for himself, of course). It was an even greater mystery why Vash still had hope of redeeming him.  
  
But that didn't matter right now. They just had to try and survive until their favorite outlaw came to the rescue. Meryl hated having to rely on someone else to save her, but she didn't have much choice at the moment. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was blindfolded, not exactly a great situation to be in. Knives had taken her cloak before they had even left the house, leaving her completely unarmed.  
  
She was willing to bet that Milly was in the same predicament as she was. Though it wouldn't have mattered much if she wasn't. Milly was too far along in her pregnancy to be of any real use in a fight. Not that they would have been able to win a fight with him anyway. Vash barely defeated his brother the last time, and neither of the women were on the same level as the outlaw.  
  
Meryl thought back to the events of that morning, how perfect her life had seemed to be becoming. She had come home and Vash had been there waiting for her. He had given her a beautiful gift and admitted that he felt something for her besides simple friendship. He hadn't said he loved her or anything like that, but it was a start. And he was going to kiss her too, if they hadn't been interrupted by an upset Milly.  
  
The raven haired woman sighed slightly, trying not to feel a bit resentful at her friend. She knew that she'd be upset too if her dead lover showed up, very much alive. And of course, Vash had gone off to find the preacher, leaving the girls alone with his brother.  
  
None of them had any idea that Knives was conscious, let alone able to walk and kidnap people. He had surprised them when they had gone up to go check on the noise. Milly had said something about Knives probably falling out of bed, but she had sounded so uncertain and nervous. And Meryl had known exactly how she felt.  
  
He had quickly taken them outside and herded them across the desert. There was one point when Meryl had protested, tried to fight back, and he had grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. The look in his eyes was the stuff of nightmares. It was obvious how much he enjoyed making them suffer, and it only terrified her more.  
  
She had cried out when he had flung her in the air, and she landed with a hard thud. A sharp pain had shot through her body on impact and she briefly wondered how black her bruises would be in the morning. When she found the courage to look back at him, he was holding her locket in his hand, studying it.  
  
"Ah, a gift from my dear brother." His voice was somewhat cheery as he spoke. "Tell me, did you enjoy him giving it to you?" He looked her in the eye as though she was some sort of specimen, a bug in a jar. "An inferior being such as you doesn't deserve his love. You're nothing but a waste of space, a disease that needs to be cured." His pleasure only got more perverse.  
  
Meryl felt the anger growing inside her, and she couldn't contain it anymore. She didn't know how she found the courage to speak up, but she did.  
  
"You're nothing but a psychopathic killer. You don't care about anyone but yourself, not even your brother who spent all his life trying to help you. And you don't even care about him. You're the waste of space, you bastard!"  
  
The smile slowly left his face and was replaced with a cold glare. She instantly regretted speaking up, sure that those would be the last words she ever said. As he stepped towards her, thoughts of everything she wished she had done in her life entered her mind. She thought of her family, and her friends. She thought of her job and her dreams. And she thought of the gunman that she had never told she loved him.  
  
When he was before her, he took her chin in his gloved hand and raised her head so that she looked him in the eye once more. That perverse smile again adorned his face and he chuckled lightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him toss her locket away, as though it was garbage. Then she was filled with the most agonizing pain she had ever felt in her entire life.  
  
It felt like her skin was being burnt off and she was being stabbed repeatedly all over her body. It was so horrible that she wished she would just go ahead and die to be spared this pain. She knew she had to be screaming, though she couldn't hear it. She did hear Milly call out her name, but it sounded so far away that she wasn't sure if she had heard right.  
  
His laughter filled her head and darkened her spirit. He was killing her, she knew it. She couldn't stand this anymore and almost welcomed him ending it. Then she thought of Vash, and how much she would miss him.  
  
Suddenly, the pain subsided somewhat. Breath returned to her and she realized that she was lying in the sand, curled into a fetal position. She could feel the tears streaking down her face and briefly wondered how long she had been like this. Opening her eyes, she found the maniac staring down at her smugly. Then he had walked over to her crying partner and hit her across the temple. Milly fell to the ground, unconscious. The plant looked back to his other victim and Meryl found herself filled with fear again. That was the last thing she felt before she fainted with exhaustion.  
  
And now they were here, in some sort of cave. Where he had found a cave in the desert, Meryl didn't know. But she did know that Vash was coming for them. She only hoped he wouldn't be too late.  
  
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Please review!! 


	15. Chapter 15

The Disclaimer shall never be denied.....

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A/N: Sorry this didn't come sooner. I would have had it up Friday night had it not been for a serious case of writer's block and my roommate's inconsiderateness. I'd explain, but that would just make me mad all over again. So I'll just finish here by saying: R/R!

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Desert Sands  
  
By: Batbabe

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Chapter 15

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/Not much farther now..../  
  
Vash had stopped wondering how exactly he knew where to go a long time ago. The only thing that mattered was getting to the girls in time. And time was steadily running out.  
  
He thumbed the locket resting in the pocket of his coat. There was no mistaking, it was the one that he had given Meryl just that morning. He knew that she would have never left it just lying in the sand voluntarily. He only hoped that he would get the chance to give it back to her.  
  
At least the odds were more in his favor this time. With the resurrected preacher by his side, his brother's attention would be divided and they would have a better chance to subdue him. Or at least he hoped it would be like that. So much had happened today, he wasn't entirely certain what would come next.  
  
Once Vash had explained the significance of the object he had found, the man in black had become substantially more irritated. If the gunman were to give a name to his friend's appearance, he'd go with "nervous." Which was strange, considering he had never seen Wolfwood truly nervous before. It made him uneasy just to see it.  
  
He needed to put those thoughts aside and concentrate on the job at hand. They were getting closer and they would soon have to face the psychotic plant. Vash wasn't sure how he should feel about this. He was more than angry about what his brother had done, he was frightened over what might have happened to the girls, and he was unsure of how to properly deal with his twin. There was no way he could kill him, that just wasn't in his nature, but he couldn't exactly just let him go either.  


"What do we do when we find them?" The preacher finally broke the silence, almost as if reading his mind. Vash could only answer honestly.  
  
"I don't know." A loud sigh came from the man at his side.  
  
"Well, I know you won't kill him, but if he's touched even one hair on Milly's head, I'll rip him apart with my bear hands..." He snarled slightly. Vash stopped in his tracks, not bothering to look at the other man.  
  
"Do what you feel you have to."  
  
He began walking again, having said what he needed to say. Wolfwood stood there stunned for a few brief seconds before striding back to the blonde's side. Neither spoke again until they came to an up crop of rock and bed stone.  
  
"We're here." Vash announced, unnecessarily.  
  
Both men could still make out the tracks in the sand before the rock. There was only one set of foot prints, but there were two other tracks. It looked like he had literally dragged both of the women most of the way here. Vash couldn't help the feeling of pride that shoot through him at the thought of Meryl not giving up and letting herself be taken.  
  
The tracks pointed in the direction of what appeared to be the entrance of a cave.  
  
"At least the bastard's got Milly out of the sun." Wolfwood muttered beside him, his face a picture of pure determination and resolution.  
  
"Hold on short girl...." The gunman's whispered prayer was lost in the wind.  
  
Determined, he took his gun, the one crafted for him by his brother, out of its holster. Beside him, he heard the preacher pulling two guns from his jacket. For a brief moment, Vash wished he had brought the cross punisher, just for the extra fire power.  
  
Both men silently made their way to the entrance of the cave before them. There was no sound coming from the interior of the cave, and neither man thought that was a good sign.  
  
Upon entering, they could see a path laid out for them. There were several small torches lining the walls, obviously leading them in the direction in which they would find Knives. It could just be a trap, of course, but Vash knew that his brother really wanted to face him. He wanted to see Vash suffer, see the pain on his face.  
  
His family was just so loving.  
  
As if by some unspoken agreement, Vash took the lead while Wolfwood covered his back. The man in red removed his sunglasses, vision improving instantly in the dim light. He nestled them away in his pocket, beside the oval locket.  
  
It took several minutes to reach the large opening at the end of the line of torches. It was a large "room" with a deep casum at one side and a small pool of water at the other. There were more torches along the walls near the ceiling, providing a good deal of illumination. Obviously a great deal of work had been put into this trap.  
  
Vash's eyes were immediately drawn to the two women in the center of the room. They appeared to be unharmed, though Milly was apparently unconscious. Meryl was keenly aware of her situation, and every muscle in her body was tense and at the ready. They were both tied up at the hands and feet, and Meryl was blindfolded. Vash wanted to run to them and let them go, but he knew that his brother was waiting for that.  
  
Wolfwood was about to run towards the girls, until Vash held up a hand signaling him to remain where he was. They wouldn't save the girls by running into the situation without thinking, no matter how much they wanted to do otherwise.  
  
Suddenly a maniacal laugh filled the space, taunting them all.  
  
Vash tensed, looking around for any sign of his brother. He knew the priest was doing the same thing behind him. The laughter stopped, only to be replaced with the sound of the plant's voice, quiet and mechanical.  
  
"Welcome, dear brother. I was starting to wonder if you would show up at all....."

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Hope you enjoyed. Right now I'm planning on having the next chapter up by Friday night, but we'll see if that actually happens.  
  
Please review!  
  
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	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own Trigun. Never have, never will. Depressing, isn't it?

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A/N: Well here's the next chapter, delivered on time. I can hardly believe it. To be honest, I was going to have it done last night (I do all my writing at night, for some reason), but then the idea for a Cowboy Bebop fic popped in my head, and it just wouldn't be denied. So anyway, here's this chapter and I sincerly hope you enjoy. I also hope it's not getting too predictable.... 

(Ok, this would have been on time had ff.net not been screwed up last night! Ugh!)  
  
R/R!

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**Desert Sands**  
  
_By: Batbabe_

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Chapter 16

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Vash could hear Meryl's startled gasp from across the cavern.  
  
He wanted more than anything to call out to her, let her know everything was going to be fine, but he knew that was just the distraction that his brother was waiting for. Instead, he walked more fully into the space, in a show of determination.  
  
A voice came into his mind. A voice that he hadn't truly heard in a hundred years, melodic and wise beyond its years.  
  
_ "And Vash, in the language of the flowers, the geranium represents determination and courage..."_  
  
/I won't let you down, Rem. I promise I won't let you down again./  
  
The gunman could feel his friend tense behind him as he strode to a spot where his twin could see him more clearly. His gun was held at his side in a nonaggressive manner, not preparing to shoot. When he spoke, his voice filled the cavern. His tone was one filled with determination and confidence.  
  
"Knives! You wanted me here? Well here I am. It's time to let the girls go."  
  
There was a short silence before the plant began to laugh again, only much harder than before. The killer of millions was actually amused by what his brother had said. The laughter seemed to come from all around the cave, and Vash couldn't pinpoint the source. The sound reflected in a way that the blonde had no idea where his brother was for sure. He only knew that his brother would be in a position that would afford him an excellent opportunity to possibly kill them all.  
  
"Oh, Vash. You know better than that." He chuckled lightly, which sent a shudder through the preacher. "I wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to set this up if I was just going to let your pet vermin go."  
  
The man in red stiffened. He had been hoping that his brother might listen to reason (granted, that was almost impossible, but he had still hoped), but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. They were going to have to do this the hard way....  
  
/As it was meant to be, my brother...../ Knives' voice resounded in his head, taunting him further.  
  
"And you brought the preacher......excellent. Now he can die as well." The sneer was more than evident in his voice. The sound of it, more than the implication, made Wolfwood livid.  
  
"Been there, done that! And now it's your turn!" He yelled to the rafters, looking in all directions in an effort to find the maniac.  
  
Milly chose that moment to finally wake up.  
  
"Nicholas...is that you?" She blinked her eyes in confusion before spotting the man in black. Instantly, their eyes locked. The taller woman smiled broadly and nodded slightly, reassuring him that she was unharmed. He sighed quietly in relief, at least something was going right today.  
  
"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be alright, I swear." Vash didn't want to ruin the moment by reminding the man in black that he shouldn't make promises he might not be able to keep. Instead, he kept his gaze on Meryl, who had remained quiet and still during the entire exchange. He knew that she was doing so on purpose, not wanted to distract either man from their mission. To do so, she knew, might get them all killed.  
  
But just hearing his voice again had filled her with more joy than she thought possible, given the current situation.  
  
"Enough of this." Knives uttered disgustedly before appearing from out of the darkness behind the girls. He had the most maniacal grin that Vash had ever seen on his face, and he had seen his brother wear many of them.  
  
/He's finally lost it...../ Vash's mouth opened slightly and his brow furrowed as his brother stepped closer and closer to the two women. Before Vash or Wolfwood could react, the plant had a gun to both of the girls' heads. The two guns had apparently been stolen from Meryl, seeing as how they were derringers. They were small and didn't have much range, but they would certainly do the job intended when pointed so closely to the back of their heads. His grin widened at the sharp intake of breath from the preacher and his eyes twinkled in amusement.  
  
"Which one should I kill first, brother?" He bore an uncanny resemblance to a snake at that moment. "If I shoot the big one, then our dear Wolfwood will get to watch as both his woman and his child dies." He paused and looked more fully at Vash. "And if I kill the loud one, you'll have to live forever without another woman that you love...."  
  
The outlaw's jaw clenched and his eyes went wide. He couldn't help but remember the day that Rem had been killed and he had been filled with the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. He couldn't lose Meryl too, not now...not to him.  
  
_ "Vash, take care of Knives....."  
_  
/I don't know if I can, Rem. I don't know if he'll let me.../  
  
"So, brother. I'm letting you choose who gets to die. Now who will you choose?" His smile became even wider, nearly splitting his face in two.  
  
"I can't do that, Knives! I won't!" The grin dropped from the psychopath's face, replaced with a cold glare. His back straightened as he looked down on the other men with disdain. When he spoke, it was much quieter than before and his tone was ice cold.  
  
"Very well then. You choose to remain among this infestation.......then you can die with them as well."  
  
As the plant cocked both of the guns, preparing to shoot, Vash instinctively raised his gun and his artificial arm. He made a silent prayer in hopes that his aim would not be off and that he wouldn't be too late....

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A/N: I'm not going to make any promises about when the next chapter will be up, seeing as how it's hard for me to keep promises like that. LOL. But I do know it will be soon, since I have no desire to kill people with cliffhangers. ;)  
  
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	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer still applies folks.

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A/N: Wow, this is probably the hardest chapter I've ever wrote. If you guys haven't noticed, I'm not much of an action writer so that made this esspecially difficult to get started on, since I knew there would be a lot of action in it. I hope I did alright, considering how long it took.....

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Please R/R!

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**Desert Sands**  
  
_By: Batbabe_

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Chapter 17

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/Please Rem, guide my shots....../  
  
Vash fired both his handgun and the gun in his artificial arm at the same exact time. In the split second that it took for the bullets to reach their targets, Vash was aware of everything else that was happening, as if everything was taking place in slow motion.  
  
A drop of water dripped to the floor from one of the stalactites above. Wolfwood was starting towards the girls and beginning to yell something. Knives snorted slightly in disgust at his brother, the world, everything. Milly shut her eyes tightly, her jaw clenching in preparedness for the shot to come. And Meryl whispered his name in goodbye.  
  
/Please, don't let me be off..../  
  
The man in red then heard his bullets rip through flesh.  
  
A hushed silence enveloped the cave. One of the girls gasped. Knives' eyes went wide in disbelief. He looked down to see blood seeping from each of his wrists. For a brief moment, he looked as though he was going to break down in tears at his brother's "betrayal." Then he grinded his teeth to bite back the shriek that was about to escape.  
  
That was when the plant realized that he still had a hold on the guns.  
  
He began to point them to the girls again, though his movements were significantly slowed. It only took Vash a second to take aim and fire the derringers out of his brother's bloody hands.  
  
Again, Knives looked up to his twin's face, deep into his eyes. Vash could see the hatred boiling within his brother once again. Sadness swept over him as soon as he saw it. He knew that there was no going back, Knives would never allow him to live now. There was no saving him, this was the end of it all.  
  
"So, you choose the humans over your own kind.....your own brother." He coughed somewhat as he spoke. His face darkened as he pushed the pain from his mind. "So be it."  
  
Before Vash could react, his brother grabbed Meryl by the next and pulled her to her feet. He ripped off her blindfold, allowing the gunman to look her in the eye for the first time since this had begun. The two locked eyes instantly, fear reflexed in both of them. Meryl steeled herself, not wanting to show any weakness and refusing to let Vash see her frightened anymore. The killer of millions spoke again.  
  
"It appears that I will have to just amuse myself with this one...." His grin was filled with bloodlust.  
  
"No! Let her go, Knives! This is between you and me!" The fear in his voice was palpable and seemed to only fuel his brother's actions.  
  
Knives tightened his grip on the woman's neck, drawing a sharp gasp from her as he began to close off her airway. She closed her eyes tightly in pain. The man in red was filled with rage at his brother's blatant cruelty and lack of regard for someone Vash cared about. He took off in a run towards them.  
  
Seeing that his brother was no longer thinking with his head, Knives picked the dark haired insurance girl up and flung her over his shoulder and ran back into the shadows, ignoring the flash of pain that ran through his wrists at the action.  
  
Vash quickly disappeared into the shadows behind his brother.  
  
Throughout the entire exchange, the preacher's gaze had been on his beloved. He had been inching closer to her while the plant's attention was on Vash, not being noticed. Once the maniac had taken off with his brother in close pursuit, Wolfwood had ran to her side.  
  
He instantly took her in his arms and held her, realizing how deeply he had missed her during his absence. The bigger insurance girl looked up to him, still not quite believing it was truly him. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he held Milly close to him for the first time in months. He thought he could feel their baby kicking...  
  
"You're here. You're really here..." She said quietly, hoping that she wasn't imagining it. She had dreamt of him thousands of times since he had "died", and had always woken up feeling alone and empty inside.  
  
He brought a hand to her face to lightly stroke her cheek, not quite believing it himself. "It's me honey, it's really me..." He smiled his first true smile in months, marveling at how incredibly stupid he had been for staying away for so long.  
  
They stayed like that for long moments, him holding her and looking into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Milly spoke.  
  
"Could you untie me now? That way I could hug you back." She closed her eyes and smiled in the sweet way she always did. He simply looked at her for a moment before he broke out in a hearty laugh.  
  
"Well, I suppose that would be a good thing to do, huh?" His sentence was broken with his laughter. He had just been so happy to see her that he had completely forgotten the situation they were in and that she was still tied up.  
  
He reached behind her and quickly released her from her bondage. The ropes hadn't even hit the floor before he was enveloped in a tight hug. The air in his lungs left in a rush at the strength of her embrace. His face was soon covered in kisses as she rejoiced in his return.  
  
"Oh, you don't know how happy I am to see you!" She spoke as she kissed. "I thought I'd never see you again and then I thought that I was never going to see anything again when Mr. Knives brought us here and then you came for us and I knew everything was going to be alright!" She quieted and pulled away suddenly, her face perplexed. "How'd you get here anyway?"  
  
He chuckled lightly. "I just followed needle-noggin. He's the one who got us here."  
  
The insurance girl tilted her head to the side, still somewhat confused. "Uh, that's not what I meant...."  
  
The smile dropped from his face as he realized what she was really asking. He looked down to his lap, hands still on her hips. The preacher wasn't entirely certain how to answer. Instead, he looked at her belly and was filled with a great fullness at being alive again. There was so much to live for.  
  
He brought his hand to rest on her protruding stomach and looked back up to her face, into her eyes. "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're alright....both of you." Her face softened and she smiled again, knowing what he said was true. They would be a family now....  
  
Slowly, he leaned down and brought his lips to hers. She melted into him, even with her increased size. Her arms rapped around his neck and his around her back. They both thanked God for this second chance.  
  
"VASH!!!"  
  
They broke apart, startled at Meryl's sudden shriek. A sense of dread came over the preacher, knowing something was terribly wrong. He silently berated himself for rejoicing at recovering Milly while Vash was still in pursuit of his brother.  
  
Wolfwood stood, then brought Milly to her feet. He took her face in his hands and gave her a light kiss, knowing that he had to leave her and help his friend. Looking into her eyes, he knew that she knew what he was about to do and that she hated to see him leave her so soon.  
  
"I'll be back soon Honey, don't worry." She nodded slightly as his hands left her face. He reached into his jacket and pulled out both of his guns again. Then he winked at his beloved and ran into the darkness, after their friends.........

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A/N: Wow, that's probably the longest chapter I've ever written for this story! Quite frankly, I'm amazed. Didn't know I had it in me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!

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	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.....though I wish to God I did.......

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A/N: I'M SO SORRY!!!! I cannot believe how long it took me to write this chapter! Everytime I sat down to write this, I got a tremendous case of writer's block. That, mixed with having to take care of my finals and moving back home, made for a huge delay. I hope I haven't alienated anyone by taking so long, but I would understand if I have. But I promise I'll try to do better next time....  
  
Please Review!

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**Dessert Sands**  
  
_By: Batbabe_

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Chapter 18

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The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, encasing them all in darkness. But he was gaining ground on them.  
  
Vash clenched his jaw, not thinking about what he was going to do once he caught his brother, only that he desperately needed to stop him. The sound of Meryl's muffled protests reached his ear, forcing him to pick up his pace.  
  
He was so close! In just a few steps he would be able to reach out and touch the frightened insurance girl, if Knives continued running at the same pace. Vash thought for a moment that he could smell Meryl's raspberry shampoo.....  
  
Suddenly, the plant stopped and shifted his weight so that he could switch his captive to his other shoulder. Blood gushed from the bullet wounds in his wrists and his face seemed paler than before. Vash almost ran into him, but was able to stop himself in time. They were only a few feet apart with Knives' back to his twin.  
  
Meryl went silent and unmoving. She lifted her eyes to meet Vash's and their gazes locked. Her gray orbs softened slightly and the anger left her face. The young woman knew that no matter what happened to her, nothing would matter unless Vash survived and Knives was stopped. She only hoped that her gunman would be able to do what was needed, she didn't want him to sacrifice everything for her. She would be more than willing to die if it meant that he would live. He was everything.  
  
His breath stalled as he took in the sight of her. There were bright red finger marks on her neck from where Knives had grabbed her and there was a bruise forming on her temple, a small gash adorned her lower cheek. Even wounded, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  
  
Breathing heavily, Knives turned his head so that he could see his twin and the pain he was causing him. Vash could see the murderous grin on his brother's face and it filled him with despair. This was the end, there was no going back now....for either of them. He just hoped he had the strength to do what needed to be done.  
  
/I'm sorry Rem......I tried....../  
  
Without warning, the psychopathic plant threw his captive against the wall of the tunnel, almost knocking her out. Vash looked quickly to Meryl, but did not go to her knowing that was what the other man wanted. When the gunman looked back to his brother, the grin was completely gone.  
  
"My dear brother, why do you still protect these vermin? Why do you go against your own kind to defend them when it will only cause your death?" His arms crossed his chest, covering it in blood. At the rate he was bleeding, Knives would be dead in just a few moments.  
  
Vash's aqua green eyes narrowed. Amidst the anger swirling inside him was a tremendous grief. He and his brother would never be able to reconcile, they would never be true brothers again. Now it was just a matter of who killed who first.  
  
"Saving them is more important than saving me. If I have to give my life to save them, I will."  
  
Vash knew that, if he needed to, he could simply stall until his brother bled to death from the wounds that he inflicted earlier. But that was the last option. Even though he knew it was hopeless, a part of him still believed that his brother could reform and they could be a family again.  
  
But that wasn't to be.  
  
There was a blur of moment from his brother and, before he could react, Vash felt a sharp pain in his chest, next to his heart. Instinctively, he brought his hand to the spot and looked down to see it covered in blood and the handle of a knife sticking out of his chest. Shaking, he raised his head to look again at his brother.  
  
"Fitting, no?" Knives chuckled. "Not only will you die because of my namesake, but we can die together." The tunnel filled with the sound of his laughter.  
  
"VASH!!!" Meryl's shriek drowned out the sound of Knives laughing as the blonde gunman fell to his knees.  
  
He was losing a lot of blood and losing it fast. His artificial hand clutched at the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. His vision darkened slightly and his breathing became ragged. For an instant, he wondered why his brother hand not simply gone for his heart and ended it all at once, only to realize that Knives had missed because he wanted to make Vash suffer yet again. Meryl made her way to his side as quickly as she could, still bound at her hands and feet. The rest of Vash's body toppled over, his head barely resting on the insurance girl's lap. He looked up at her face, seeing a reflection of himself in her eyes. All the energy seemed to leave his body, weakening him more than anything ever had. He could see Meryl was sobbing, but he could no longer hear it.  
  
/So this is what it feels like..../  
  
Turning his head, Vash could see that his brother was still laughing maniacally. Vaguely, he could feel his own breathing slow and his own vision darken again. It couldn't end this way....  
  
"Knives....." He choked, reaching out towards his twin.  
  
The plant stilled, a haunted expression replacing the enjoyment. It seemed as if many moments passed, brother gazing at brother. Both knowing they were about to die.  
  
Slowly, as if without thinking, Knives reached out a hand towards his brother. They mirrored each other, both wanting one last connection with the person they loved so much. A pained expression crossed the plant's face, perhaps because he knew that he had been the cause of his own pain, as well as his brother's. His mouth opened as he tried to speak....  
  
Then a bullet went through his skull.  
  
Vash heard the shot as if it were very far away. He felt his whole body shake as his brother slumped to the ground, completely lifeless. Knives' eyes were still wide open though he was no longer looking at anything. He would never look at anything again.  
  
The blonde gunman could feel hot tears running down his face in steady streams. A deep pain filled him that had nothing to do with the knife in his chest. His head turned sharply in the other direction, not surprised by what he found there.  
  
Wolfwood stood there, gun in hand, facing the now deceased plant. His face was hard and he breathed deeply and rapidly. Finally, he looked towards Meryl and Vash and came towards them.  
  
The preacher stood over the gunman, then kneeled beside him. He exchanged looks with Meryl before bending down closer to Vash. He mouthed something, but Vash couldn't hear it.  
  
The last thing Vash saw was Meryl bending down to kiss him on the lips.  
  
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	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer still applies.

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A/N: Sorry to all the Knives fans for the last chapter. I hadn't originally intended to kill him off, but I kinda backed myself into a corner where it was the only option. I know that's not very comforting, but it's the truth. I hope this chapter makes up for it, in some way.  
  
Please Review!

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**Desert Sands**  
  
_By: Batbabe_

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Chapter 19

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The pain was unbearable.  
  
And it wasn't just the pain in his chest either. There was a loneliness and despair inside him that completely overshadowed his physical pain.  
  
Vash awoke in his bed back at the house, unsure of how much time had passed. He wasn't even sure that he was still alive until the pain in his chest asserted itself when he tried to sit up. The room was bright and sunny, and just the right temperature for an ailing man. The house was quiet, no sound to be heard anywhere.  
  
The silence was deafening.  
  
The place in the back of his mind where his brother resided was empty. Ever since Vash could remember, he had always been able to feel his twin no matter how far apart they were. His brother's presence in his mind had always been a comfort to Vash, reminding him that he wasn't alone, and now he realized just how much he had depended on that.  
  
Knives was gone.  
  
Vash had never wanted his brother to die, no matter what happened between them. He had always harbored a hope that somehow he could get his brother to change. That they could live as brothers and be happy again. It didn't matter that Knives had shot off Vash's arm or that Vash had fired his angel arms weapon at Knives. They had a bond that was unbreakable no matter what.  
  
And now their bond was broken by death.  
  
/Why did I live when he died? Why did this have to happen??/ The outlaw began to weep silently, guilt and despair washing over him. He wanted so much to see his twin one last time, to tell him everything that was in his heart, to let him know that he still loved him.  
  
But he would never be able to.  
  
Ignoring the protest from his body, Vash got up from the bed and walked to his door. He had to find someone, had to know what had happened. He needed to know how he could have possibly lived. The girls would know. He'd have to find Wolfwood as well, though it was not a confrontation that he was looking forward to.  
  
But first, he needed to find his brother's body.  
  
He made his way down the steps slowly, each step eliciting a sharp pain in his chest that was getting harder to ignore. He held his chest with his mechanical hand and gripped the banister with his real hand. The living room was empty and exactly as before all this started. Vash didn't linger and went straight for the kitchen, silently wondering why the hell they were making a sick man walk so far.  
  
Vash stopped in the doorway, seeing Meryl standing at the stove with her back to him. Now he could smell the aroma of her cooking and it made his stomach growl slightly. It must have been quite a while since he had last eaten, he guessed. The petite woman was humming an entrancing tune, somewhat familiar to the gunman. He stood there for some moments, taking in the sight of her and listening with fascination. She didn't notice his presence, apparently, since she went about her business.  
  
After a while, Vash could feel his legs start to give out on him, too weak to hold him anymore. He leaned onto the doorjamb and a grunt escaped him. Meryl shrieked and whirled around, holding her wooden spoon in a threatening manner. As soon as she saw him her face softened and she rushed over.  
  
"What do you think you're doing out of bed and walking around?" Her voice berated him in her usual way. "Don't you realize you were knifed and almost died?? You should be in bed!" Vash chuckled at her concern and her odd way of showing it. He let her guide him to one of the chairs by the table, exhaustion taking its toll on him.  
  
"Where is everyone?" His face became serious and he huffed out the words with a great deal of effort. The insurance girl looked surprised for a moment but covered it quickly.  
  
"Mr. Wolfwood took Milly to the Doctor for a check-up. They should be back soon though." Concern etched her delicate features and she held tightly to his shoulder as she sat in a chair in front of him. She brought her other hand to his face and gently caressed his cheek, looking deeply into his eyes.  
  
The outlaw let out a deep breath, already feeling better sitting down. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.  
  
"Where's Knives?"  
  
Meryl's hand abruptly left his shoulder and the other left his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she had leaned back in surprise. Her eyes were wide and she didn't know how to answer. Eventually, she looked down to the floor and brought her hands together.  
  
"We buried him outside. Out by the hill." Her voice was soft and sympathetic. Vash nodded slightly and stood, making his way for the back door. She didn't try to stop him.

* * *

It didn't take long for someone to join him.  
  
Vash was kneeled in front of the small mound of dirt and the cross that marked it. He had been there for at least an hour, trying to find some measure of peace. He had apologized, cried, yelled, and hit the dirt beneath him in frustration. None of it brought him solace.  
  
He had heard the preacher long before the man made his presence known.  
  
"I'm sorry Vash." He spoke quietly, almost inaudibly. The preacher stood a few feet away, not wanting to trespass on Vash's personal space. He knew all too well that Vash would be angry at him when he woke up, since he had been the one to put an end to his brother's life. Wolfwood steeled himself for the barrage that was sure to come.  
  
"Why did I live when he died?"  
  
That was not what the preacher had expected to hear. There was no anger in Vash's voice, only sorrow and remorse. Visibly taken aback by the question, it took a few extra seconds for Wolfwood to answer.  
  
"You lived because you were meant to. There's more for you to do, to live for." He stepped closer to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think, deep down, your brother would have wanted you to live."  
  
The outlaw turned to look at the other man, hope burning in his eyes. "Your brother loved you Vash, I really believe that. He just had a funny way of showing it." The man in black chuckled.  
  
A small came to Vash's lips for a moment before it was replaced again with sadness. "I know you did what you had to do, that you were just trying to save me and the girls." He said quietly, again turning away. His gaze rested on the small cross with his brother's name on it.  
  
Wolfwood looked down at his feet, thankful that his friend understood but that did nothing to alleviate the guilt that swirled through him. He hated Knives, to be sure, but as soon as he had pulled the trigger and seen Vash's face, he began to question himself. Even he was unsure as to whether he had done the right thing or not. It wasn't a good feeling.  
  
The preacher hated to cause his best friend pain, but in the end he knew that there had been no other choice. Right or wrong. He sighed.  
  
"Wherever he is now, I know that he's finally found his peace." Wolfwood looked to the setting suns in the distance, his voice filled with confidence.  
  
Vash nodded, hoping with all his heart that his friend was right. Now he would have to face the world alone, without the one constant in his entire life. It was like a piece of himself was gone forever, a part of him that he had never realized was so vital to his existence. He'd have to walk on his own two feet from now on.  
  
The blonde stood, still facing the grave. He was still shaky, but it wasn't as bad as before. The pain in his chest wasn't as noticeable either.  
  
His compainion smiled slightly and placed his hand on the taller man's shoulder again. "Come on, Vash. The short girl's probably finished with dinner by now and you look like you could use a good meal." His smile widened and Vash returned it.  
  
The two made their way towards the house, with Wolfwood helping Vash along the way. A thought suddenly occurred to Vash and he began to laugh lightly.  
  
"Do you think I can convince Meryl to make me some donuts?"

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A/N: Just one chapter left! I can hardly believe it. I'll try to have it up soon, but I make no promises. I tend to get into trouble when I do that. Thanks for reading! :)  
  
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	20. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I in no way own Trigun. Too bad for me...

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A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! And no, I haven't forgotten about this story at all. Honestly, I have no good excuse for taking so long with this. For those of you who may still be out there, thanks for sticking around! I've really got to credit a couple of friends for encouraging me to finish this, namely Ravenwings (check out her Zoids fics!) and the Straightedgeruler (you know who you are!).

This is the final installment of "Desert Sands". Writing this fic as been a joy, from start to finish. There were times that I didn't know if I would ever finish it, but all of the reviews have helped push me to the finish line. Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story, and even to those who didn't. Enjoy!

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**Desert Sands**

_By: Batbabe_

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Epilogue

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"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The occupants of the small waiting area jumped at the sudden sound. They had been there for hours, patiently waiting for the baby to make his or her appearance. The expectant father had been pacing the room the entire time while his two companions had taken two of the chairs. At the sudden wail, all three jumped toward the door. It only took a few moments for the doctor to return to the waiting room with a bright smile on his young face.

"Well? Is she alright? What about the baby?" Wolfwood asked in a rush before the doctor could get a word out. The preacher's face was etched with concern and nervousness. Milly's sudden labor had scared all of them, considering that there was still two weeks til the original due date.

Dr. Phelps' smile widened, "Don't worry Mr. Wolfwood, mother and son are doing just fine."

The concern on Wolfwood's face was replaced with a look of astonishment. His jaw dropped and his eyes brightened. He looked at the closed door, not truly seeing it. Vash let out a cry of joy at the doctor's pronouncement and clapped his hand on the preacher's back several times in congratulations. Meryl reacted similar to Vash, except she took Wolfwood's arm.

"I...I have a son..." Was all the new father could manage, still not quite believing it.

The doctor smiled again. "Yes, yes you do. Congratulations Mr. Wolfwood, you can go in and see them now." Dr. Phelps stepped aside to let the group through.

Vash and Meryl hung back to let Wolfwood be the first inside to greet his new family. The preacher had a glazed look to his face as he walked into the room and caught sight of the woman he loved and the little bundle she held in her arms.

Milly looked exhausted, yet she seemed to still glow with happiness. For a moment, she didn't notice that her companions had entered the small room but then she turned her head and her smile became brighter. The new mother looked at each of them in turn before her gaze finally rested on the priest.

"Come and meet your son, Nicholas..."

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Vash and Meryl walked home from the hospital in silence. It was the first time that the two of them had been alone together since the incident with Knives. Both of them had done everything they could to avoid being with the other, which made the walk home quite awkward.

Neither wanted to be the one to speak first, but both knew that they had to. They couldn't keep avoiding each other forever. Deciding to be the bigger person, Vash stopped suddenly in the middle of the dusty street.

"We have to talk." The tone in his voice left no room for argument.

The petite woman paused and turned slowly to face him. They were about two yards away from each other, staring intently into each other's eyes. Meryl looked away after a moment, growing too self-conscious and embarrassed to hold his gaze. Suddenly her foot seemed to require her attention.

"Meryl, please..." The pleading in his voice was unmistakable and immediately drew her eyes back up to meet his. The hurt on his face was evident.

The insurance girl gulped and looked away again. "Alright Vash, what do you want to talk about?" She did her best to act nonchalant, but didn't quite succeed.

The gunman tried his best not to roll his eyes and shout in frustration at her stubbornness. Instead, he settled for a disappointed sigh before explaining. "It's been over a month since..." His voice choked audibly and he found he still couldn't form the words. "Since things quieted down, and we haven't said more than two words at a time to each other. Don't you think that it's time we talked about what happened?"

Meryl stiffened, knowing that he was right but not wanting to admit it. Instead, she turned and continued towards the house. "There's nothing to say really. Everything's back to normal..." Her words trailed off as Vash placed a hand gently on her arm. She could feel the heat radiating from it even through her clothes and she couldn't help but bring hers up again to meet his.

"What happened to you, to you and Milly, was all my fault. Knives never would have taken you if it hadn't been for me." He paused. "I want you to know how sorry I am and how I wish I could have spared you that pain."

The petite woman felt her throat contract and looked back down at her feet, touched by his words but also somewhat disappointed. For some reason, she had expected him to say something else...

As if sensing her disappointment, Vash moved his other hand to cup her chin and lifted her face to meet his eyes again. "And, I also want you to know...how much you mean to me..." Before she could react, the gunman lowered his face and his lips touched hers.

Shock overtook Meryl momentarily and she stood stiffly, wide-eyed before allowing herself to relax and leaned into the kiss. She let herself get swept away in the experience, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him closer. The kiss deepened and Meryl noted distantly that his human hand had moved from her arm to the small of her back. Both had forgotten that they were still in the middle of the street, neither noticing that they had attracted a small crowd.

After some moments, the pair separated, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"So," Vash began, somewhat at a loss for words, "I guess this means you don't hate me anymore, huh?" He flashed a boyish smile and scratched the back of his head. He was surprised when she started to laugh lightly in response. He had actually thought that she might have hit him or yelled at him, like she normally did, but there was no sign of impending attack.

The insurance girl grinned up at him. "Of course I don't hate you, idiot. I thought you would have realized that by now." She took his hand in hers, making him blush lightly.

"Well, you don't exactly make it easy on a guy..." His muttering was cut short as she kissed him again.

* * *

"We're home!"

The preacher's deep voice echoed throughout the small house as he and Milly entered with their son cradled in her arms. They were met immediately by the other two occupants of the home, both giddy with excitement. Three days had passed since Milly had given birth and this was the first time that the doctor had allowed her to leave due to her early delivery. And since Wolfwood had stayed with them at the hospital almost the entire time, Vash and Meryl had the house completely to themselves. The group quickly exchanged hugs before Meryl whisked Milly and the baby over to the couch to rest.

"Oh Milly, I'm so glad you're home!" Meryl looked down adoringly at the tiny newborn. "Have you two figured out a name yet?" She spoke quietly so as to allow the infant to continue to sleep soundly.

Milly grinned brightly as Meryl sat down beside her, the men coming up behind them. "As a matter of fact, we have." She stated proudly. "We've decided to call him Liam Owen Wolfwood." Both parents beamed with pride.

"That's a great name, Milly! I'm sure he'll love it." Vash chuckled lightly, pleased with his friends' choice in name.

"Yeah, it's a wonderful name! I'm so glad that you were finally able to choose one you both liked" said Meryl.

Wolfwood snorted slightly. "Believe me, it wasn't easy." His demeanor quickly lightened. "But once I asked her to marry me, she was open to just about anything..." Both Vash and Meryl jumped in surprise.

"YOU WHAT!"

The new parents laughed hysterically at their friends' surprise, as both looked at them with their jaws practically hanging on the floor. It took them a moment to recover their senses and get over the shock at the sudden announcement. Vash spoke first.

"It's about time! What took you so long?" He slapped the preacher on the back playfully.

Wolfwood smirked. "Probably the same thing that's taken you so long, needle-noggin."

Vash paled.

Meryl giggled.

Milly stared.

An awkward moment later, "Meryl? Is that the locket you lost?" The new mother leaned over to get a better look at the gold trinket barely visible hanging from her neck. Meryl smiled proudly, stealing a glance at the man in red.

"As a matter of fact, Milly, it is..."

The other woman blinked and then grinned cheerily. "Well I'm glad you found it. I know that it means a lot to you." Milly missed the look that passed between Vash at Meryl.

"You're right," Meryl said softly, still looking at Vash, "it means more to me than anything..."

It was obvious that she wasn't talking about the locket.

FIN


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